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75

For it's age, it's still a good game!

I have the original release of this game, on disc, that my mother bought for me years and years ago for a birthday present. I'm still tempted to purchase this up-to-date version for compatibility reasons, because quite frankly it's actually a pretty decent game. It's different, it's challenging and the story is pretty original (well it was for the time it was released anyway) that has apparently inspired others (think ANNO series for instance). It's a not-too-well-known gem and well worth the cash. If you're interested in a little early-2000's gaming, go for it.

95

Highly original

Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising has always been an awesome game, and will continue to be so even years from now. Every single piece of the game just fits together so well, and makes a fantastic hybrid strategy and shooter combination. Rage really had something here, and just like with all their games, it's something that lasts.

You create and deploy military units into the battlefield off of your combat ship, The Antaeus. You can control these units from a more traditional top-down view, or give the thing that makes this game so original a try. Why stick to planning when you can fight? Hop into the nearest vehicle and stick it to the enemy! The characters in each unit are simply the cream of the crop, and all have unique, hilariously awesome lines.

The game looked great upon release, but the visuals are pretty dated now. I've yet to encounter any weird bugs due to incompatible parts, though, so the graphics are just fine. The explosions are massive and still look as good as ever, though, and never get old to see.

Hostile Waters is an amazing game, and not one any gamer should pass up on.

95

Absolute Classic

I go back to it about one every two years to replay it and this is in a game with pretty much zero replay value.

The unique gameplay is absolutely fantastic and quite unlike anything else, a mixture of RTS and 3rd Person shooter. You can control one vehicle at a time while you have human personalities downloaded onto data chips (remnants of a great war) to pilot other vehicles. If they are destroyed the personality becomes available again. These personalities have unique abilities and skills, and also interact and chatter in a remarkably charming way, the dialogue on many newer games is less interesting.

The controls for the RTS element are outstanding, controlled from a top town screen from your command carrier. Waypoints etc are used to give vehicles complex movement orders - these are sometimes made necessary by the pathing issues. Tanks, for example, will not drive up hills unless piloted by the player. Hovercraft will prefer moving by sea, occasionally forcing them to take hugely long routes. Some structures that are player owned need to be airlifted into location and this can often be a dangerous process - non-hovercraft will be destroyed if submerged and a turret rolls very well down a hill.

The storyline is fantastic. Classic Sci Fi which is narrated by Tom Baker and has some first class voice acting. The mission transitions are moving and fit well with the overall story. Furthermore there are limited resources - typical of the world which is being painted by the story - which forces the player to aggressively salvage everything s/he can to keep your war effort rolling. Doing this also provides new vehicles and weapons to alter your existing arsenal or to provide entirely new tactical options

I would absolutely recommend this game to anyone. If you are an RTS fan or a shooter fan, or a helicopter simulator player or Sci-Fi. For £3.00 it's a steal. If you can see past the old graphics (mouths don't move when talking, sadly) and see the substance behind it you're in for a hell of a ride.

In the words of the helicopter ace personality : "Point me at the bad guys!"

87

Underrated pearl with a unique gameplay

I played this near the release and it was pretty fun, as it is today (played it a few months back), because in terms of gameplay mechanics it is still a pretty unique game even nowadays.
The game has a rich plot told through cutscenes and some FMV.
In essence the game is a mix of strategy and third person shooter. It has a very detailed tutorial that explains all of the concepts, and accompanies the player during the first levels of the game.
You can have several vehicles at the same time in each mission and command them through the war room thanks to the souls of heroes that you "attach" to the vehicle to make them "autonomous"; you then give them orders that they will carry out (like move somewhere, or transport another vehicle to some place of the map, etc).
Besides that you can also control each vehicle directly, in third person view, and switch between them at will. You will then carry the tasks yourself,
from getting scrap metal (currency, to build more vehicles), to transport vehicles from one part of the map to another, and shoot bad guys or destroy enemy structures.
As you go through the game you will get more vehicles to control and will get to upgrade them with better weapons or armor.
This mixture of aspects makes the gameplay interesting, although it can get repetitive after a few levels. But the rate of new unlocks, be it new vehicles or upgrades, makes if fun to continue to explore.
The graphics were top notch in its time, but are pretty lame by today's standard. Still the nostalgic appeal gives them some flair.

In conclusion this underratted game deserves to be played nowadays because of its unique gameplay and story.